The Final Word: We're Walking!

Who is this helpful girl you see? It's Tickle Bug, of course, and she's giving Daddy a hand in the kitchen. Little Monster really enjoys spending time in the kitchen, whether it's stirring things in her little pot, blowing on pasta steaming on the stove, or clamoring for her breakfast sausages. She's especially enthusiastic about the dishwasher, where she grabs silverware from its tray and hurls it into the interior. Let's hope she remains such a vigorous helper when it comes to chores several years from now.

But let's get down to business. Baby Girl is walking! She can easily traverse the whole house, from the living room to the reading room and back again. She's quite the explorer, and isn't afraid to poke around in Mama and Daddy's dark room when the lights are off, or in the bathroom where she takes her baths. It's a good thing there's a door in front of the upstairs staircase, because Daddy saw her climb a flight of stairs at the babysitter's place when he picked her up yesterday. Sweet Girl has a kiss for you at the end!



In case the idea of Little Monster trundling unassisted all over the place isn't scary enough, consider this little ghost's seasonal Halloween fright-fest. Boo!

Staying With Friends

Yesterday, Sweet Girl visited with Anna Rut and had a really good time. Anna Rut is the wife of one of Daddy's coworkers, who was kind enough to let Sweet Girl stay during the day. Baby Girl had a great time and didn't want to leave! She stayed with Anna Rut and Huni's son and daughter, Hafthor and Emilia.

Madeleine spent the day playing in the playhouse that occupies the living room. She especially liked opening and closing the red door, playing with the kitchen toys, and drawing on the easel. Here are a few pictures of her enjoying herself.



Oh, and here's a picture of Hafthor, "supplementing" his diet with some chocolate frosting. Baby Girl, don't let him trick you into eating junk food!

Sleep Later, Adventure Now!

Have you ever seen a goblin walk? It looks a little bit like this.



The past few days have been busy for Tickle Bug. She has stayed with Miss Jeanie, stayed with Anna Rut, helped Daddy with his fantasy draft at Serpas, played with a big dog named Digby, eaten sliders and chicken wings, made Daddy chase footballs, ridden all over the place with Mama, and stopped by the Brick Store for alphabet soup when Daddy got off work to see Mama.

Such a busy and tired girl! Mama has off the next few days, so she and Sweet Girl can play together without having to rush anywhere. With Daddy in Seattle and Mama working all weekend, the past several days have been a lot for Little Monster to handle. Everything has calmed down now, though, and after a much-needed bath, it's lights out and sweet dreams for Wee Goblin.

How to Eat Soup

Good heavens, what is going on here? I'll tell you what's going on here. Split pea soup night, that's what. When Daddy was growing up, split pea soup was one of his favorites, and if Little Monster's recent dining habits have been any indication, it's going to be one of her favorites, too. Of course, at this stage, she loves wearing it as much as she loves eating it, but that's okay. Every day is an adventure in the world of Sweet Girl.

In other news, Miss Fuss is learning to speak a little more each day. As of now, she's been perfecting saying "Baby," which she started when she saw pictures of herself in Mama's wallet. She also gives sweet kisses when asked (if she's in the right mood) and cuddles up when it's time for bed or when she's feeling especially lovey. Here she is modeling her new Halloween pajamas, which she picked up on her recent trip to Corpus Christi.

When Little Werewolf sees animals in the yard, she gets really excited. Now that she has a yard of her own, all sorts of critters come to visit her, from squirrels and birds in the big tree to the calico cat who sometimes comes by to say hello. That's all fine and good for now, but we certainly don't want Madeleine's animal friends inviting their less savory compatriots to come calling. No possums or raccoons, thank you! Maybe Sweet Girl has a dog in her future.

Tickle Bug Returns

Sweet Girl is back from her visit to Texas with Mama while Daddy had some business travel in Indianapolis and Cologne. She seems to have had a wonderful time, with a lot of swimming and a great deal of learning new things. Over the trip, Baby Girl has mastered her "no more" hand gestures, so she can tell Mama and Daddy that she's done eating. She's also become very proficient with using her fork at meals.

Since returning, Little Monster's appetite has been prodigious. Sausages seem to be her favorite breakfast, and Daddy figured it would be wise to go ahead and get the value pack at the grocery store, so Miss Fuss can power through 24 links at her leisure. This morning she had them in her frittata, and the other morning she had three with her banana and muffin. Good heavens, Little Werewolf!

Of course, travel can take it out of a person, and Baby Girl is no exception. She made an early night of it Thursday night, and after helping Mama and Daddy pick out a new car today, she took her bath and headed to bed just a few minutes before the evening games' kickoff. Daddy was thinking about taking her to see the game in person, since she enjoyed the baseball game so much, but this Sweet Goblin was too tuckered out.

Hot August Days

Good heavens, it's been a busy week. Sorry for the delays. With Mama working almost every day and her car being stolen out of the driveway, there's been a lot going on around here and it's tough place to be a Sweet Girl. Luckily, Little Monster remains in mostly high spirits. As if all that weren't enough, Baby Girl had a bug bite that caused her to break out in hives. When it rains, it pours.

It's sometimes hard to tell, but Little Werewolf does have hair that's growing in. Every now and then it does something really cute, like looping here in this little curl that stayed with Baby Girl all afternoon. Sometimes it gets really wild, like after a bath, and Miss Madeleine looks more like the Joker than a sweet little monster!

Of late, Wee Goblin has come to appreciate smoothies. With some banana, a handful of berries, a spoonful of sorbet, and some whole milk, this Little Monster will stay sated for a good half an hour. Since she's become a little finicky with her vegetables in the evening, sometimes the afternoon smoothie is the best way for Sweet Girl to get the food groups she needs. She especially enjoys drinking it with a straw, and when she's really happy, she spins around on her bottom by pushing herself with one foot. It's quite a silly dance to see!

Mini-Vacation

With the house settled (mostly) and the spiders clamoring for eminent domain, Mama and Daddy decided to take Little Monster on a trip. Daddy was thinking about the Biltmore, but Mama wanted something a little more Monster-friendly, so everything went into the car and Baby Girl came to Savannah, Georgia.

The trip itself was a bit rainy, and Miss Fuss made it with a minimum of squalls on her part. She got cranky only near the end. As with many road trips, lunch was Cracker Barrel, where Sweet Girl ate chicken and dumplings to her heart's content and took a turn on the little rocker out front. Daddy bought a piece of old-fashioned stick candy and sucked it down to a point. Mama rolled her eyes at him while Little Werewolf slept in the car seat.

When the family arrived at Savannah, Baby Girl decided it was go time, and after a very brief nap, took a stroll down River Street. She loved seeing the Spanish moss and feeling the cobblestones underneath the wheels of her stroller. The street musicians and bright lights of River Street held her rapt attention — but not so much that she couldn't polish off a half-dozen shrimp at the Oyster Bar. After that, she and Daddy climbed up and down the steps of the shorewalk and then headed back to the hotel for a bath and bed. It was ten o'clock before Tiny Terror went to sleep!

Thursday was the big day. It started with waffles for breakfast and after a brief car ride to Tybee Island, Little Monster faced down the ocean! She liked the lapping of the waves over her feet and the feel of floating, but she definitely did not like it when the waves crashed into her. Daddy had to carry her out past the surf, where she kicked her feet like a real water baby.

Swimming is hard work, so Sweet Girl decided to visit the Crab Shack for lunch. Once again, she did damage to a lot of shrimp, plus some potatoes and a cob of corn. She also visited the alligators while she was there, but they were lazy alligators, just basking in the sun. Little Monster scolded them for being so lackadaisical.

No time to rest! When Sweet Girl got back to the hotel, she took a brief moment to catch her breath, then she and Daddy visited the cemetery and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. She also met a nice puppy dog in one of the city squares, and hollered at a blackbird and a squirrel. Then Mama joined them, whereupon they visited Leopold's for a shake and an ice-cream float. Baby Girl definitely has a sweet tooth when it suits her, and she charmed one of the businessmen in the store.

For dinner, Mama wanted to go to Bistro-Savannah on a friend's recommendation, but they were closed, so Sweet Girl led the charge across the street to Belford's. Little Goblin ate mostly pirate's booty, but she also tried a bit of Daddy's scallops, Mama's crab cakes, and the fried green tomatoes. It is Savannah, after all. Little Monster was adamant in her refusal to wear one shoe and sock, however.

No sooner did Little Monster finish dinner than a rainstorm threatened, so everyone hightailed it back to the hotel, where Baby Girl, despite skipping her morning nap and having only a half-hour afternoon nap, was still going strong. She rampaged around the room and played king-of-the-hill on the bed with an exhausted Mama and Daddy, and only when she finally started getting cranky did she retreat to sleepytime.

The next morning was a sausage and muffin breakfast for the Wee Goblin, and then the return trip to home in Atlanta. A brief stop along the way at Buffalo's took place, where Baby Girl taught them a thing or two about how to eat penne, but after that, Baby Girl was happy to be home and in her own bed.